acquisition

There are a lot of streaming music services in the world, and Google’s acquisition of Songza came as no surprise. What is a bit befuddling to some is why Google would buy Songza instead of the others out there. Google’s pockets are deep, so cost wasn’t really an issue — they could have had any company willing to sell (and they all would for the right price). So why did Google grab Songza?

Google has purchased Songza, the music suggestion and streaming radio service. The suggestions, which come in the form of carefully curated content based on context like where you are, fit well with Google. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Late last month, rumor began circling that Google's Nest was eyeing a possible Dropcam acquisition, something that turned out to be true. On its website today, Nest announced that after "a lot of time looking" at different possibilities, the company has decided to acquire connectd-camera maker Dropcam.

This week the folks responsible for picking up companies at Google has announced that they’ll be entering outer space with Skybox Imaging. This company is known for its launching of the world’s smallest high-resolution imagine satellite - one of many, we must assume for the future. Google will more than likely use its abilities to push forth services like Google Maps with higher-resolutions images of the world.

In what appears to be an attempt to make their Maps app better, Apple has acquired Spotsetter. The small firm is aimed at providing you suggestions on places to go, all overlaid on a map interface. This would make Apple maps a bit more contextual, as well as just plain useful.

Samsonite, maker of robust luggage meant to be used and abused, has acquired Speck. The luggage company is purchasing the mobile device case maker for $85 million, and hopes to capitalize on the $2.3 billion case market. On a downturn of late, Speck may have seen their valuation dip just a touch, making them prime for the acquisition.

Now that Apple has Beats under their wing, some are searching for answers. Did they covet Beats’ headphones? Was it a quick grab to get a streaming music offering? The answer to both is probably a firm “yes”, but when it comes to Apple’s music offerings, the proof is in the numbers.

Though Apple will operate Beats independently of the company proper, things will definitely be changing. Beats’ iconic designs have been thanks to design firm Ammunition, who designed everything from the Pro to the Pill. Now that Apple has snatched up Beats, they’ll be handling the hardware as well, leaving Ammunition out in the cold.

The acquisition of Beats by Apple was not about shutting down a rival company, nor was it about grabbing patents. Apple didn’t intent on purchasing Beats because they wanted good designers or because they didn’t already have good enough headphones themselves. Instead, this purchase was the first in Apple’s public transformation into a company that isn’t forced to retain its excellence by strict regulation of hardware and software. Now begins Apple’s diversification.

In an attempt to get a “headstart”, Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed the company is purchasing Beats. He also says Apple will spend $3 billion for Beats, the largest acquisition ever for Apple. This ends weeks of speculation, giving us the answers we’ve been so curious to know.